Graduate Training Program for Magnetic Resonance Imaging

This T32 training program “Graduate Training Program in Magnetic Resonance Imaging” (TPMRI) was established in 2019 and provides funding to support five predoctoral PhD students in Radiology and Biomedical Engineering (BME) at Northwestern University. The TPMRI program is multi-disciplinary in nature, covering complementary imaging science topics for broad training in translational Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) projects. The objective is for students to obtain in-depth understanding of MRI physics and engineering principles and clinical applications based on participation in innovative MR research with a specific emphasis on PhD-MD interactions to facilitate informed clinical translational research. The TPMRI program is committed to developing proficient scientists who have the full range of professional skills required for success along any of the numerous career paths that PhD scientists follow. The TPMRI program elements have continuously evolved in response to changes in relevant scientific and technical knowledge, educational practices, and evaluation of the training program. Training elements included written and oral communication, grantsmanship, responsible conduct in research, experimental rigor and reproducibility, and networking and career development. We seek to instill in trainees a clear understanding of what constitutes professional and rigorous scientific work relevant to translational diagnostic medical imaging. The strong foundation of medical imaging research, combined with access to state-of-the-art imaging equipment, creates an excellent environment for training predoctoral bioengineering students. This infrastructure offers direct access to clinical MRI systems with dedicated research time for developing and testing novel imaging techniques. On-site training also fosters collaboration among bioengineering students, clinicians, physician-scientists, and industry partners engaged in translational research. Building on the success of TPMRI, we aim to further advance clinical imaging research.